Life Is A Song
by Erik is my Angel of Music
Summary: AU. A tragedy and a seventeen-year-old secret leaves Roxanne's world spinning out of control. Everyone is left shocked at the life she was hiding, especially the town's resident supervillain. Lies and covers are exposed, and life as Roxanne knew it would never be the same. Based on "Megamind", but including elements from a classic movie made in 1982. I do not own either of them.
1. There Is Never Any Light

**"MILLIONAIRE DEAD AT 70 - SEARCH CONTINUES FOR RUNAWAY DAUGHTER"**

The newspaper lay abandoned on the table, as if dropped carelessly by its reader. The corner of it was dipped into the mug, staining the pages with black coffee. Roxanne Ritchi stared at the scene in front of her, not daring to think that this could be happening.

"No...this has got to be a mistake. Not after all these years of not even thinking about this situation. It can't end like this!" She gasped. Her hands, she realized, were covering her mouth, while silent tears poured down her face. Roxanne quickly shut her eyes to drive the tears away. This did not concern her.

The brunette's thoughts went to the young girl that would inherit the fortune. Of course she would not care for the money, the estate, or the worry-free life it would give her. No, that child would have given it all away just to have her Daddy back. The only problem was that the girl in question ran away seventeen years ago. Many theories were tossed around as to why. Some said that she had a tantrum and ran off, getting lost in the process. Others said that she was really kidnapped by greedy men, even though no one ever demanded a ransom. As the years passed, most agreed that the child was most likely dead.

However, the famed millionaire did not agree. Ever since his daughter went missing, he called out a search of the entire state of New York. The reward was set to five million dollars. Practically everyone in the whole country was looking for this little girl, but to no avail. After a decade, the people gave up and eventually forgot the child. Her father was furious, but he stopped at nothing. There were rumors that he even hired a personalized staff only committed to searching every one of the fifty states to look for his daughter. As time went on, the wealthy man became ill with grief. The official report came in that he passed as a result of heart failure. Naturally, being the only child, the lost little girl was the only heir to the fortune. The search was continued by the personal secretary to the late millionaire, who was desperately trying to locate her former boss' daughter.

Roxanne could not feel anything but shock. But what does it matter? She was not that little girl.

_Not anymore._


	2. The Wind Is Always Howling

The eerie silence in the lair was broken by an unearthly screech. "Oh, Sir! Sir, where are you? You will not believe what is on the cover of the Metro City Telegraph!" A bit of shuffling. "Well, it's on the Metro City Monitor, also. And the Metro City Daily News, as well."

"Minion, if this is about that dreadful Rock 'Em, Sock'em Kittens project last week, I do not want to talk about it." The alien sat lazily at his desk, working on one of his restless Brainbots that had a broken leg. "Hold still, Pinky! We both wouldn't be here if you hadn't stolen Boxer's wrench! You know how possessive he is!"

The fish hurried inside of the workroom, waving the three mentioned newspapers wildly. "No, Sir, it's about the Warbucks case!"

"What about it? Did they finally recover that idiotic girl that ran off?" Megamind scoffed. "I hope he gives her the spanking of a century."

Minion frowned. "No, Sir. They didn't. Actually, Mr. Warbucks will never find his daughter. He passed on yesterday from heart failure." He silently handed the papers over to his friend, waiting for his reaction.

The blue alien took one look at the headlines, his eyes narrowed. A cold wave of fury came over him. A growl escaped from his tightened lips. Megamind took the newspapers and scanned the articles. Meanwhile, Mnion was nervous about his friend's response to this news.

"Sir? Are...you okay?"

"How could I be, Minion? Have you no idea how close to home this hits for me? Of course you do. I would give my entire lifestyle up just to see my parents again. To hear their voices, see Father's smile, listen to Mother's laughter. And because of God-knows-what reason, she ran away from her own father! Of course I'm not okay, Minion! Family is the only thing worth having and she threw it away like garbage in the street!" A blue hand slammed the cold metal of the desk, frightening Pinky. The Brainbot flew across the room, cowering, until she crashed into the far wall of the room. Megamind sighed. He grabbed the Metro City Monitor and flipped through it until he found the picture that could be seen all over the world. A sixteen year old girl with long, bright red curls was posed with her arms wide open. The smile reached from one ear to the other, her freckles barely noticeable unless you looked very closely. What stood out the most about her was not her hair, but her sky-blue eyes. Eyes that proved that this child had been through Hell and back, but always believed that the sun was shining.

Her backstory was unknown to the public. Oliver Warbucks appeared one day as a childless bachelor. Then out of nowhere, pictures circulated everywhere featuring the millionaire curmudgeon with a girl he claimed as his ten-year-old daughter, Anne Marie. There was no mention of her mother or even where the child was hiding for a decade. Anne simply popped into existence, but the public eye adored her love for life. Six years later, she disappeared as fast as she came without a trace. This case both angered and intrigued Megamind. He was appalled at how selfish she was, but the criminal genius inside of him was also amazed at how well the girl covered her tracks. He even investigated the 'crime scene' himself when it all first started, also believing that Anne was kidnapped. However, when no signs of a struggle or a break-in were found, Megamind was the first to find out that no one had kidnapped the heiress. After anonymously giving the tip to the police, the alien took it upon himself to search the city, intent on teaching the girl a lesson. Unfortunately, this never happened.

Ten years later Megamind was still thinking about the case on a daily basis, albeit occasionally. His priority was his criminal career that reached a new height with the premiere of Metro Man. The blue genius had been looking over his notes on the Warbucks situation when Minion just so happened to turn the television to Channel 8. A shy reporter was covering the results of the first battle between the new superhero and his arch-nemisis. It was attraction at first sight to Megamind. Eventually, he ceased to think about the missing child altogether because of Roxanne Ritchi.

Speaking of his beautiful temptress..."MINION! CHANNEL 8! I mean, there, uh, might be a report on it! Better go check the television!"

Minion's eyebrow raised, but he complied. The monitors were tuned in to the news report. However, the duo's kidnappee was not covering it. A blond, vuluptious woman instead appeared on the screens.

"Oh. Well, that's interesting. Usually Miss Ritchi is in charge of the breaking news topics. Not that it matters." The villain crossed his arms. "At least this opens up her schedule. Maybe today's kidnapping can be bumped up by a couple of hours. Did you feed Mary, Shelly, and Frank, Minion? They seemed awfully too chipper to snap at Miss Ritchi last Tuesday. I don't want a repeat of that."

The fish nodded. "I'll get on it immediately, Sir. By the way, I left your ray gun in the invisible car last night, but I think it's fully charged and ready to go. Also, I finished patching up Silver Cobra last night. Metro Man's laser vision really did a number on it. I was almost ready to throw it out and make it again from scratch. Really, he ought to know that every time he does that, it only creates more work for me." He sniffed once, then exited the room.

The supervillain cackled and was about to follow after his friend when he felt something brush his knee. Megamind looked down to find Pinky. Her mechanical eye blinked at him once, then continued to snuggle up against him. Tiny sparks erupted from one of her metal legs.

"Don't worry, Pinky, I haven't forgotten about you." He smiled faintly as he gathered the bot in his arms.

"Bowg, bowg." The Brainbot chirped happily as her master led her out of the dark workroom. She trusted her creator because in his arms, Pinky knew that she would be safe. 


	3. Maybe Far Away

With her head bowed, Roxanne shuffled her way along the sidewalk. For the most part, no one took the time to even glance at her. It was still considered early for work at this time in Metro City. The buisness suits and dresses clothed the ones travelling to work. The little children dashing their way towards the schoolhouse. Roxanne took notice of how blissfully aware they were. The world's most sought after person was walking in their midst, and they were so clueless. She foolishly waited for someone to recognize her as she made her way toward the café, but that moment never came.

When Roxanne entered Rosie's Garden, everything seemed to be perfectly normal. The baristas were rushing to fulfill orders. The middle class workers came in, ready to complain how slow it was taking for someone to make their caff macchiato. And there was Rosie standing right in front of her, as usual.

Rosie was only twenty-four years old, but she possessed most popular family-owned café in the city. With her youthful face and short stature, you would think she was instead the daughter of the owner. What made Rosie so unique was her fiery-red hair that so contrasted her sweet nature. The girl's smile was ever so wide that Roxanne wondered if her face was frozen that way. "Roxanne, how wonderful to see you again! I'm guessing you want the usual?"

"Uh, yes, thank you." The brunette reporter was led to 'her' table in the far right corner of the café. Every morning at eight, this place in particular was occupied by the same person who ordered a white chocolate mocha and a peach raspberry yougurt parfait. A person who was used to the same schedule every day of the week. A person like Roxanne Ritchi.

"I'll be right back with your order!" With a wink, the red-head went on her way.

Roxanne slumped in her chair, which was not a usual habit of hers. Frankly, this was not a usual day for her. Learning that the man who cared for her and raised her was dead had taken a toll on her as expected. Considering the circumstances, she could not possibly come into work today. She had called Mr. St. James and told him that she came down with the flu and couldn't possibly come into work for the next two weeks. This was also strange, because Roxanne had never called in to work before with illness as an excuse. To even make the situation more frustrating for her, the reporter had to look within her avalanche of a closet to find modest clothing to wear for the day.

_'Not to mention, today's Tuesday. And that can only mean another kidnapping.'_

"Here you are, Roxanne! Is there anything else I can do for you, sweetheart?"

Roxanne smiled faintly. "No thanks, Rosie. I'll be fine." Her nose crunched up. "Is it just me or is it quieter in here than usual?"

"Huh? Oh, that! I had Mike turn the television off. The news isn't really going to be watched this early anyway because most of our customers are heading to work at this time! Would you like me to turn it back on?" Before Roxanne could answer, Rosie skipped over to the televison set on the over wall and pressed the power button.

After a few seconds of static, the screen jolted to life.

"...646-2123 if you have any information that will lead to the whereabouts of Anne Marie Warbucks. Also, to those who have been taking part in the search, this will come as a surprise to you. The reward has been considerably lessened to a mere three million dollars. Now, Jim, that is still enough money to get people out on the streets looking for a sign of this girl, but why do you think the price went down?"

"There are plenty of theories that have come up since this announcement was made, but I would like to share one that is the most believeable. Now that Warbucks has died, he is no longer in control of the money. In his will, he left everything to his daughter, who has been missing for almost twenty years! He died believing that she was still alive which might turn out as a foolish mistake. It's been over a week since she inherited all of this money. If she were still alive, she would have came out of hiding and claimed it. This worries everyone who knew the girl, including Miss Grace Farrell. For those who don't know, Miss Farrell was his personal secretary for eleven years before they became romantically involved. Now this very suspicious because right before they made their relationship public, a ten-year-old girl named Anne came into the picture. There is probable cause that Anne is the result of a decade-old love affair between Warbucks and Farrell. However, this has not been proven."

The door to the café flew open, its bell jingling wildly. Rosie turned to see who had entered, but there was no one in sight. She frowned and turned to Roxanne's table, but it was empty.

'_**6462123**_! I would know that phone number anywhere! Wayne Scott, I am going to kill you!'


	4. I Don't Need Anything

**First of all, I am SUPER excited at the feedback I've been getting! I love and appreciate every review and message. I started out this story believing that absolutely no one would like the idea, but shockingly, it's getting postitive remarks! Which is wonderful! Thank you all so much. I will try to update at least once a week. It may take a bit longer though, since I am going away from the computer on August 5th for my mother and I share a birthday on that date! Also, I am starting my senior year of high school on August 9th. That may influence the uploading of chapters or lack of. Once again, thank you for all of your feedback. I appreciate it more than you can ever imagine. If you have any ideas for improvement, don't be shy, as long as it's not negative criticism. Bless you all.**

* * *

When Wayne Scott first heard his cell phone ring, he did not need any of his superpowers to know exactly who it was that was calling. He might not be the smartest person in the city (That title belonged to the blue, narcissistic supervillain he was due to fight today), but he was no fool. Roxanne would simply have to wait. Considering what she is currently putting him through, it serves her right.

Wayne was currently located at the ruins of the Lil' Gifted School for Lil' Gifted Kids. When the crusader was not busy 'fighting' Megamind, assisting the fire department, or other tasks that his superhero status had thrust upon him, he was waiting for Roxanne to make an appearance. He was waiting to hear her drive towards the schoolhouse, stomp inside, and hit the steel door repeatedly until she was out of energy. But this, Wayne decided, was much more unexpected.

But then again, it is Tuesday. She probably wouldn't have succeeded in coming here, considering at least one Brainbot was trailing her. It would alert its master and _he_ would pick her up before Roxanne even left the city limits.

Roxanne Ritchi. What a clever name she chose for herself. It's close enough that she could get used to responding to it quickly, yet it did not seem to be connected with the girl that the world was talking about.

It seemed like only yesterday when he first saw her in the streets of Detroit.

*********FLASHBACK*********

Later in life, he would regret his actions that day, but Wayne Scott knew that this girl was suffering. He found her completely by accident. He was already in the city during the winter break of his junior year. He passed an alley on the way back to Metro City. He couldn't explain it, not even to this day. But something inside of him was pushing him towards that particular alley, at that particular time. Lo and behold, there she was. Just one look at her and you couldn't even tell that she was once well-fed and taken care of. Anne Warbucks' eyes were surrounded in dark circles, her expensive clothes ripped and stained, her auburn hair covered in grime, and she looked like she had not eaten in days.

He did not even had to ask her name. He recognized her instantly. "You've been missing for weeks. Everyone is looking for you. Do you know how much pain you're putting people through? Your own father..."

"_HE IS NOT MY FATHER!_"

Wayne was taken aback. Not so much at what she said, but how she said it. This girl didn't seem to have any energy to stand, let alone scream at the top of her lungs. His eyes narrowed. "Whether he was responsible for giving you life is not important. A man who takes care of you, loves you, and treats you like his own child is a father." His gaze softened. "I can't honestly say that I know this from experience, but Robert is at least proud of me. I never knew my birth parents. They died a long time ago when I was just a baby. One crash landing to Earth later, and I became apart of the Scott family."

Anne gasped. "You're not...Wayne Scott?"

"Indeed, I am. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Warbucks. I just wish it was under better circumstances." He gave her a roguish wink.

This, unfortunately for him, did not charm her one bit. "Well," the girl took one step backward, "...does that mean the other alien is around here? The blue one?"

"No, he's back in Metro City. Megs calls the Metro City Prison for the Criminally Gifted his home."

Her nose crunched up. "'Megs'? Is that what he calls himself?"

"His _supervillain_ name is Megamind. We don't know his real name, and he's officially classified as John Doe, so we're stuck with that." Wayne shrugged.

At this point, the sixteen year old girl's stomach began to impersonate a dying whale, must to her embarrassment. This only caused the superhero-in-training to laugh even harder. "You sound like you need something to eat." His sense of smell then caught the scent of weeks of traveling in the same clothing. "And from the...look of it, you need to, er, freshen up."

The heat of her gaze almost terrified him. Almost. "Stop being a coward and just say that I smell like shit. I'm not an idiot." Though those sky-blue eyes held a tiny spark of life in them that Wayne noticed immediately. They had not even known each other for five minutes, but Wayne sensed that Anne trusted him somewhat. At least enough to know that he wouldn't lie to her. After all, he was on the good side, being a future superhero.

A thought occurred to him. Maybe he should take her directly to the police. After all, she is a runaway. Wayne grew up hearing that he was destined to be the world's first real superhero. Could this be his first rescue? He was in no need of the money. That could be donated to a charity, or at least given to someone who needs it more.

Then again, how could he be so ungentlemanly to deny her sustenance and a hot shower? 'After all, women do take pride in their appearance. She would hate me if I presented her in front of cameras while she looked like Samara Morgan.' "I apologize again for offending you. But no one deserves to be living in the streets of such a dangerous town."

"What, like Metro City isn't a dangerous town? I've heard stories about your battles with Megamind, and..."

"Whoa, whoa." Wayne's enormous brows furrowed. "We never battled formerly yet." _'Yet?'_, he thought. _'Where did that come from?'_ "The media blasts schoolyard fights between me and him out of proportion. Besides, Megs doesn't even have an evil bone in his body. He could barely swat a fly. Believe me, I could tell you things about him that would blow your mind! He doesn't even anything made from fish because his best friend is a fish."

Anne blinked. "What?"

"It's a long story. A story that I'll tell you if you'd consider coming back to Metro City with me." He interrupted her protests. "If only to get some food and take a shower. I mean no harm to you, you should know that. At least help me have a clear conscience. I can't bear to leave a helpless woman in the cold."

"And then?" Her eyebrow raised.

"I would like for you to tell me what happened between you and Oliver. That's all I ask. If anything, I can help you through this mess. I know more than anyone about the relationship between a parent and their adopted child."

She didn't budge for a moment. Wayne's hand was reached out to her. That is when Anne made her decision. "I don't know about you, but some orange chicken sounds pretty good to me right now."

*********FLASHBACK*********

Wayne shook off those memories when he noticed it. Rather, he noticed something that wasn't there. The silence became deafening. Roxanne's call was left unanswered.

_'Damn. This is what I get for having flashbacks. Oh, well. She can say what she wants to say after the kidnapping. THEN she can yell at me for giving the media her private phone number.'_


End file.
